Fedir Shpyh
Fedir Shpyh | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 30, 1956 Ukraine |
| Died | March 31, 2020 (aged 64) |
| Occupation(s) | Banker, football official, politician |
| Years active | 1972–2020 |
| Known for | Founder of Bank Aval; President of Ukrainian Football Amateur Association; Member of Ukrainian Parliament |
Fedir Ivanovych Shpyh (; 30 January 1956 – 31 March 2020) was a prominent Ukrainian figure known for his roles in banking, football administration, and politics.
Biography
Shpyh launched his professional journey in 1972 as a designer-technician at Leninska Kuznia (currently Kuznya na Rybalskomu) while attending Kyiv Shipbuilding Vocational School. Following his military service in the Soviet army from 1976 to 1978, he resumed work as a technology engineer. Between 1979 and 1982, he held the position of senior technology engineer at the Brovarymebli furniture association. His involvement with the Komsomol spanned from 1982 until 1991, during which he notably served as head of affairs for the Central Committee of the Lenin's Youth Communist League of Ukraine (LKSMU). In 1984, Shpyh earned an economics degree from the Kyiv Institute of National Economy and successfully defended his candidate dissertation focusing on the management of commercial banking operations.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Shpyh took charge of credit resources at INKO, one of Ukraine's earliest commercial banks, in 1991. He established Bank Aval in March 1992, which later became a regional branch of Raiffeisen Bank International, an Austrian banking corporation, in 2005. His tenure on the National Bank of Ukraine council lasted from 1999 to 2007. In recognition of his contributions to economics, he was awarded the title Merited Economist of Ukraine in 1997.
In 1998, Shpyh assumed the presidency of the Ukrainian Football Amateur Association (AAFU), overseeing national amateur football tournaments affiliated with the Football Federation of Ukraine. He was also decorated with the Order of Merit, third class.
Shpyh ventured into politics in 1998 by securing a parliamentary mandate as an independent candidate representing Chernihiv Oblast’s 210th electoral district while concurrently managing Bank Aval. Initially aligning with the pro-presidential People's Democratic Party faction, he transitioned to the Labour Ukraine group in 1999. During his parliamentary service from 1998 to 2002, he contributed to the finance and banking committee and received the Order of Merit, second class in 2001. He was re-elected as an independent representative for the same district in 2002.